After surveying 100,1000 individuals who lived in different countries, scientists have reported that people spending six to eight hours each day sitting down had a 12 to 13-percent increased risk of both early death and heart ailment.
As specified in a Study Finds report, the couch is undeniably comfortable, but Simon Fraser University researchers suggest that spending too much time sitting down may only "land couch potatoes in an early grave."
Sitting 6-8 hours a day linked to increased risk of early death - After surveying over 100k people living in 21 different countries, sitting for more than eight hours per day had a 20 percent higher risk of death. Keep moving! https://t.co/trlfvHIEfD
— Gold Stock Trades (@goldstocktrades) June 17, 2022
People who sit for longer than eight hours each day had a 20-percent higher risk. In collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing, the study authors followed these people for an average of 11 years.
Along the way, the team discovered a clear link between excessive time sitting and heart disease and mortality risk.
Importance of Exercise
In their study published in JAMA Cardiology, the authors admitted that sitting is a health condition across all countries; it is particularly problematic in low-income and low-middle income countries.
According to the study's co-author Scott Lear, who's also a health and science professor at Simon Fraser University, if one must sit, engaging in more exercise during other times of the day will offset such a risk.
The study specifies that risk gradually increases the more frequently a person sits. The least active people who sat the most exhibited the highest risk levels, up to 50 percent. On the contrary, the most active participants benefited from the lowest risk profiles at 17 percent.
Commenting on their findings, Professor Lear explained that for people sitting more than four hours each day, replacing half-hour of sitting with exercise reduced the risk of mortality by two percent.
Chances of Early Death
With just one in four Canadians meeting the activity guidelines, there is an opportunity here for individuals to increase their activity and lessen their chances of early death, not to mention heart disease.
In terms of the stronger link in lower-income nations, study authors theorize that sitting the whole day in higher-income countries is typically associated with better-paying jobs and overall higher socio-economic status.
More money and higher status would mean more resources to deal with personal health problems or carve out time for regular exercise.
Consequently, according to a similar HealthSite.com report, researchers emphasize the essentiality of staying active and preventing "physical stagnation."
It may be considered "healthy living 101," the study author explained, but that is because it offers enormous benefits.
Professor Lear continued by explaining that their study showed that a combination of sitting and inactivity accounted for 8.8 percent of all deaths, which is close to the contribution of smoking, specifically comprising 10.6 percent of the study; it is a global problem that has a remarkably simple fix. He, therefore, concluded that scheduling time to get out of the office chair is quite a great start.
Related information about sitting for long hours that may lead to early death is shown on News4JAX's YouTube video below:
Check out more news and information on Heart Health in Science Times.
